As Told By the Egg
The story of fertilization, from the female point of view
By Susan Gaidos
Whether the chicken or the egg came first doesn’t occupy biologist Luca Jovine’s thoughts too much. Animals have been laying eggs for millions of years, after all. Over time, evolution has reshaped both the eggs and the creatures hatched from them.
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Instead, Jovine spends his time unscrambling another egg-related conundrum: How does the egg orchestrate the molecular mating dance that creates all these new individuals?
For a fuller understanding of the ways that egg and sperm tango during the lead-up to fertilization, Jovine is seeking help from the chicken.